The issue of making condoms more available for teens isn't new, but now the American Academy of Pediatrics is taking a stand. A new policy statement from the organization indicates teens should be encouraged to abstain from sex, but sexually active teens need easy access to condoms.

The AAP also said parents need to be more involved as well. It can be a tough topic for parents and their young children to talk about -- the birds and the bees -- but according to the new policy statement from the AAP, those discussions are more important than ever.

Dr. Scott Krugman, chairman of pediatrics at Medstar Franklin Square Hospital and president of the Maryland chapter of the AAP, said the statement shows there is a growing need for parents to better educate their kids about sex as well as making condoms more available.

"(It's) nothing very groundbreaking except we're still dealing with a lot of teens who have STDs and teenage pregnancy," Krugman said. "Anywhere they can get easy access to free or cheap condoms is the best way of preventing sexually transmitted diseases."

The AAP found that 15- to 24-year-olds acquire half of all new sexually transmitted infections, and 20 percent of all new HIV infections in the United States in 2011 were in people age 13 to 24.

Rates of sexually transmitted infections continue to increase, and while birth rates among teens are down, they are much higher than other developed countries.

The AAP is recommending parents and adolescents talk about sex and get help from pediatricians; condoms need to be more readily available, including at the pediatrician's office; sexual education should be discussed in kindergarten through 12th grade, and schools should be considered places where kids can get condoms.

Dr. Lauren Gordon, who has a 14-year-old daughter, said she knows how important it is to talk to teens about sex.

"I think all parents have to be supportive of their children," she said.

While some parents may feel that making condoms available in school may condone sex, she takes a different approach.

"I think if they have somebody they feel comfortable talking to about these issues, it makes it much easier for them," Gordon said.

Doctors said studies show teens with access to condoms and sexual education become sexually active later than those who don't have access.

Representatives from the Maryland Department of Education told 11 News it's up to each school district to determine whether to offer condoms in school or not. They could not say which do and don't.